Pressure fuselage



y 1941- G. A. PAGE, JR

" PRESSURE FUSELAGE Original Filed Jan. 13, 1938 l lll II III II I INVENTOR Reissued May 13, 1941 PRESSURE FUSELAGE George A. Page, In, Creve Coeur, Mo., assignor to Curtis-Wright Corpo Delaware ration, a corporation of Original No. 'amzsmfdatea m. 13, 1939, Serial No. 184,741, January 13,1988. Application for reissue March 7, 1941, Serial No. man

8 Claims.

This invention relates to aircraft fuselages being particularly concerned with improvements in connection with fuselages for high altitude aircraft in which it is desired to maintain a higher pressure within the fuselage than exists in the atmosphere surrounding same.

In the prior art, effort has been expended to provide pressure cabins in aircraft fuselages in which the air is maintained at substantially ground pressure although the aircraft itself may be at high altitude whereat the atmospheric pressure may be somewhat less than one-half the pressure within the cabin. Accordingly, the cabin becomes a pressure tank which must be designed to effectively sustain internal pressure without failure. At the same time it is necessary to maintain the external fuselage form as an effective streamline body. some of the prior attempts in this direction have comprised the housing of a cylindrical compartment within a streamlined fuselage, but this is undesirable as it virtuallyare such thatthe intersections of the. two arcs subtend a chord C and the intersections of respective sections form inwardly protruding cusps II. The cusps II are joined by a tension member if equivalent in length to the chord C. The

tension member I! when projected longitudinally of the fuselage forms a substantially plane diaphragm which, when structurally braced in a manner well-known in the art may serve as a floor for the cabin space it embraced by the section ill and member I. correspondingly, the space ll embraced by the section" Ii and the member ll may form a baggage compartment of generous size yet of somewhat smaller capacity than the space ll.

The cusps I! provide longitudinal indentations in the exterior form of the fuselage and these indentations may either be left intact to provide a distinguishing mark for this'type of fuselage, or, if desired, fairings it may be used to fill out the indentations, the fairings being tangent to re- 1 spective sections Ill and II and bridging the intenance of higher pressures within the' fuselage 7 than outside thereof.

Further objects will become apparent in reading the annexed specification in connection with the drawing in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a fuselage according to this invention; and .7

Fig. 2 is a typical section through a mid-portion of the fuselage.

The figures of the drawing illustrate a streamlined areodynamic body of optimum form wherein the height is somewhat greater than the width and the section of the body partakes of oval form. It will be realized, however, that if the body is to form a pressure tank, an oval section is undesirable since pressure within the tank would tend to expand the flatter sides of the oval urging the whole body toward a circular shape. Accordingly,

dentations.

The nose of the fuselage which normally is occupied by the aircraft crew may be constructed throughout according to the above indicated teachinga while the tail of the fuselage which tapers to a point as at It, may be in'the form of a false fairing extending rearwardly from the rear wall is of the pressure cabin. Said rear wall ,will be formed by spherical segments similar in construction to the sections shown in Fig. 2.

By utilizing arcuate skin sections it will be obvious that pressure may be maintained within the fuselage without deforming the sectional profile of the body, the member is assuming tension stresses which normally would tend tospread the cusps. l2 apart. Thus, by the novel construction above described I may utilize a single slain which forms at the same time a pressure cabinet and pressure baggage compartment, and an external fuselage form of optimum form characteristics.

It is understood that the fuselage herein disclosed would include necessary longitudinal and circumferential bracing in the manner wellknown in the art. Preferably, the fuselage would be constructed in monocoque form. V V While I have described my invention in its present preferred embodiment, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art, after understanding my invention, that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope thereof. I aim in the appended claims to cover all r such modifications and changes.

WhatIclaimis:

1.1napremrefuselage,anupperarcuate cuate sections of respectively greater and lesser radius joined at their edges to form inwardly projecting cusps, a plane tension member Joining of the fuselage and comprising a tension member across the fuselage resisting spreading of the intersections of said arcuate sections.

4. In a pressure fuselage, at least two arcuate skin portions of different radius and joined at their edges to one another, and a chord member secured to the opposed edges and comprising a tension tie member therebetween, said chord memberbeingconstructedasabeamtosustain loads without substantial deflection thereof.

5. In a pressure fuselage, longitudinally extending skin portions each of diiferent arcuate cross section but having similar chords, said portions beingsecuredtooneanoth'erattheiredgemmd said cusps M member being transversely reinforced to assume bending loads when. used as a door, and fairings bridging the indentations on the exterior surface of the fuselage formed by said inwardly projecting cusps.

3. A fuselage comprising an upper arcuate section subtending an angle of more than 180; 1|

lower arcuate section of smaller radius Joined at its edges to the edges of said upper section and depending therebelow, and a substantially plane tension diaphragm joining respective edges and comprising a chord of said arcuate sections, said diaphragm being reinforced against bending deso iiection to provide a floor for theupper section an elongated substantially flat platform joining the opposite edges of saidskin portions, said platform comprising a tension tie therebetween and being substantially rigid against bending to comprisealoadcarryingmeansinsaidfuselage'.

'6.Inanaircraftbodyadaptedtocontains fluid under pressure greater than that of the ambient atmosphere, arcuate skin portions Joined at their edges to one another, at least one 'of said portions subtending an angle different from that subtended by a semicircle, and a chord member Joining the opposed skin portion edges, said chord member being reinforced against bending to constitutea beam.as well as a tension tie between said skin Joints.

GEORGE A. PAGE, Ja. 

